Owens & Minor, Inc. (NYSE:OMI) will host the 7th Annual Healthcare Supplier Diversity Symposium on September 18-19, 2012, in Richmond, Virginia. This year’s symposium, which is expected to draw more than 300 participants, will focus on “Global Supplier Diversity – a New Strategy for Growth & Development in Healthcare.” Joining Owens & Minor in sponsoring the Symposium are the Virginia Minority Supplier Development Council (VMSDC), the Healthcare Supplier Diversity Alliance (HSDA), and the National Association of Health Services Executives (NAHSE).

“By recognizing that our opportunities are not only local, but global, we can significantly expand our customer base, our markets and our product sources,” said Craig R. Smith, President & Chief Executive Officer of Owens & Minor. “We believe diversity plays an important role in the healthcare supply chain. We intend to continue promoting opportunities for our diverse business partners, customers and suppliers as we move onto the global stage.”

Scheduled for Wednesday, September 19, 2012, the Symposium will bring together leaders from businesses owned by women, minorities, and veterans, as well as representatives from major healthcare systems, medical device and product manufacturers, pharmaceutical firms, healthcare distributors, academia, policy makers, and government. Participants will have access to workshops, panel discussions, and networking opportunities.

On the evening of Tuesday, September 18, 2012, a reception and dinner will feature keynote speaker Dr. Mae Jemison, a former NASA astronaut and founder of The Jemison Group, Ltd. Jemison, the first woman of color to go into space, served six years as a NASA astronaut. She has been a professor at Dartmouth College and Cornell University, and is the founder of The Jemison group, a technology consulting firm. Jemison is an inductee of National Women’s Hall of Fame, National Medical Association Hall of Fame, and Texas Science Hall of Fame, and has received many honors, awards, and honorary degrees. Prior to joining NASA, Jemison was the Area Peace Corps Medical Officer for Sierra Leone and Liberia in West Africa. She has worked in a Cambodian refugee camp and with the Flying Doctors of East Africa. She was a general practice doctor in Los Angeles. Jemison earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Chemical Engineering and her doctorate in medicine from Cornell University.

The Symposium will feature panel discussions, break-out sessions, and networking opportunities. The plenary session will feature speaker Leonard Greenhalgh, the Director of Programs for Minority and Women-Owned Businesses at the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth. Other high profile speakers will be featured at this year’s event. Donna Brazile, Founder & Managing Director of Brazile & Associates LLC, as well as, Vice Chair of Voter Registration & Participation at the Democratic National Committee, will speak at the general session. Dr. Cara V. James, Director of Minority Health at the Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services, is slated to be the luncheon speaker.

As a special feature of this year’s Symposium, Owens & Minor will present the first annual Earl G. Reubel Award, in honor of the founder of Virginia-based Kerma Medical Products, a noted minority-owned healthcare company. The award, sponsored by Owens & Minor, will recognize a deserving woman or minority entrepreneur, who embodies the spirit of the late Earl G. Reubel.

In conjunction with the 7 th Annual Healthcare Supplier Diversity Symposium, the Richmond Region of Professional Women in Healthcare (PWH) is sponsoring an event with Dr. Tracy W. Gaudet, Director of the Veterans Health Administration Office of Patient-Centered Care and Cultural Transformation, who will speak about the transformational changes taking place in healthcare today. The PWH event will take place at the Richmond Marriott Hotel on Monday, September 17, 2012, at 5:30 p.m.

For more information about the Symposium, please visit www.hsdsymposium.com. Owens & Minor uses its Web site as a channel of distribution for material company information, including news releases, investor presentations and financial information.

Owens & Minor, Inc., (NYSE:OMI) a FORTUNE 500 company headquartered in Richmond, Virginia, is a leading national distributor of name-brand medical and surgical supplies and a healthcare supply-chain management company. Owens & Minor is also a member of the Russell 2000 ® Index, which measures the performance of the small-cap segment of the U.S. equity universe, as well as the S&P MidCap 400, which includes companies with a market capitalization of $1 billion to $4.4 billion that meet certain financial standards. With a diverse product and service offering and distribution centers throughout the United States, the company serves hospitals, integrated healthcare systems, alternate site locations, group purchasing organizations, healthcare suppliers, and the federal government. Owens & Minor provides technology and consulting programs that improve inventory management and streamline logistics across the entire medical supply chain – from origin of product to patient bedside. For news releases, or for more information about Owens & Minor, visit the company website at www.owens-minor.com.